Dear XXXXXX,
Thank you for writing to me about Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) and the UC and PIP Bill.
I have had a huge number of emails and conversations with constituents about this, and I know how strongly many people feel about these changes.
Over recent weeks I have worked very hard with the Prime Minister and colleagues across Parliament to improve this package, and to listen to the concerns that many people have raised. As a result, there have been a number of significant improvements to this Bill.
Crucially, these changes will not affect anyone currently in receipt of PIP or UC, and will only apply to new applicants from November 2026. The Government has also commissioned an expert review, working with disabled people and disability organisations to co-design the future of PIP assessment.
This Bill will also end needless reassessments for people with the most severe disabilities. It will boost the basic rate of UC by hundreds of pounds a year, and it comes alongside more than £1bn in tailored back to work support. There will also be a new legal ‘right to try’ so that people with disabilities can have greater confidence that seeking work will not result in reassessment and loss of support.
I believe these changes are necessary, and that this Government is absolutely right to start the process of fixing our broken welfare system. The system we inherited from the last government is simply not fit for purpose - it traps and abandons too many people out of work, and it denies disabled people the dignity and support they need. The costs of this failure are also rising to an unsustainable level.
That is why the Government have set about these reforms, and why we have worked so hard in recent weeks to get the package before Parliament right. I will be supporting this Bill today, and I can assure you that will continue to scrutinise it as it passes through Parliament.
Thank you again for writing to me.
All best wishes,
Chris Ward
Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
